Newly opened WestConnex tunnel missing from Google Maps, causing confusion in Sydney
Google Maps is working to resolve an issue where Sydney’s newly opened WestConnex M4 East motorway – part of Australia’s largest transport infrastructure project – does not display on its map.
The 5.5km tunnel, from Homebush to Haberfield, opened on Saturday after controversy over its impact on health, traffic and the mandatory acquisition of homes.
The $3.8bn development had been under construction for years and will save drivers 20 minutes between Parramatta to the CBD, according to the New South Wales premier, Gladys Berejiklian.
But on Monday motorists pointed out that Google Maps still did not display it.
Transport aficionado Elijah Abraham noticed that any route set to “leave now” on Google Maps did not offer the new M4 tunnel as an option.
Routes plotted between western Sydney and Haberfield consistently failed to recognise the new tunnel, even when users specifically chose places close to the entry and exist points.
Abraham told Guardian Australia he plotted a route from the McDonald’s in Rosehill to McDonald’s in Haberfield.
“To get from the M4 to Haberfield, it puts you on to Parramatta Road [the A4]. If you look at the left, you can see I’ve got the ‘leave now’ option set.”
However, if that was adjusted to set a different departure time, the new M4 East suddenly appeared as an option.
“It shows a completely new route that isn’t visible as a road, and that you don’t get in the first option,” Abraham said. “That new route is the new M4 tunnel that was opened on Saturday.”
On the Google Maps route with the fault, the trip took 24 minutes. On the correct trip, it took 12 minutes.
Other motorists also complained online that this was confusing and created inflated journey times.
On Monday, a spokeswoman for Google said the company were working to resolve the issue.
A spokeswoman for Transport For NSW said other apps and maps – like TomTom, Apple Maps and Waze – were working. The department said it had provided information about the new WestConnex M4 to the various map companies weeks before the tunnel opened.
She told Guardian Australia they had contacted Google about the issue.
The ABC reported some motorists have been seen stopping and reversing out of the tunnel, apparently unsure of which lane to use.
The Homebush to Haberfield tunnel that opened on Saturday is a portion of the overall WestConnex project, which is projected to cost $16.8bn and create a 33km roadway.
The maximum toll on the new tunnels is $4.27.